Marianne Adams

Fluent Dancing

Fluent Dancing


“Dance Me,” “Blanc,” “The Running Show,” “Chronicle”
Fall For Dance Festival - Program 5
Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, Sara Mearns & Taylor Stanley, Monica Bill Barnes & Company, Martha Graham Dance Company
New York City Center
New York, NY
October 13, 2019


The most welcome part about the somewhat somber fifth program of the Fall for Dance Festival was that it was best absorbed as an experience, rather than as a source of deep meanings. The world premiere of

By Marianne Adams
Looking Back, While Facing Forward

Looking Back, While Facing Forward


“At the Wrong Time,” “Dust Duet,” “Dare to Wreck,” “Lazarus” (Act II)
Fall For Dance Festival - Program 3
The Mariinsky Ballet, English National Ballet, Skånes Dansteater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
New York City Center
New York, NY
October 6, 2019


The third program of this year’s Fall For Dance Festival followed what is now an expected formula: there was a range of dance styles on display, at least one work on pointe, and at least one crowd

By Marianne Adams
Old Movement, Anew

Old Movement, Anew


“Raymonda Variations,” “Variations Pour Une Porte et Un Soupir,” “DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
September 22, 2019 (matinee)


New York City Ballet could have presented any combination of works for its “Balanchine + Wheeldon” program, but the particular selection of George Balanchine’s “Raymonda Variations” and “Variations Pour Une Porte et Un Soupir” and Christopher Wheeldon’s “DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse” worked to highlight Balanchine’s creative genius, while

By Marianne Adams
Saying Something, Meaning More

Saying Something, Meaning More


"Darl," "Seventy-Two Hours," "Two Sides Of," "Reverie," "Dialogue Dances"
The Joyce Ballet Festival, Program B
The Joyce Theater
New York, NY
August 10, 2019 


Program B of the Joyce Ballet Festival, curated by The Royal Ballet’s star Lauren Cuthbertson, at first could have seemed like an odd grab bag of material, as thematically its one United States and four world premieres hardly had a connecting thread (besides the almost uniform prominence of Cuthbertson).  On reflection though, the

By Marianne Adams
Flavors of American Cool

Flavors of American Cool


“The Brahms-Haydn Variations,” “Deuce Coupe,” “In the Upper Room”
American Ballet Theatre
The Metropolitan Opera House
New York, NY
May 31, 2019


ABT’s Tharp Trio program was in some ways all about the once-new ways of looking at dance, and in others an unequivocal way to underscore the “American” in American Ballet Theatre. The three Twyla Tharp works – the crowd-pleasing modern “In the Upper Room,” the neo-classical “Brahms-Haydn Variations,” and the completely new to the company, blended-styled “Deuce Coupe”

By Marianne Adams
Looking Through the Roots

Looking Through the Roots


“Scotch Symphony,” “Valse-Fantaisie,” “Sonatine,” “Stravinsky Violin Concerto”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 8, 2019


With its “All Balanchine” program, New York City Ballet turned to the older works of its founding master – George Balanchine’s “Scotch Symphony,” “Valse-Fantasie,” “Sonatine,” and “Stravinsky Violin Concerto.”  This particular evening had many debuts, allowing for a fresh look at the company through the older works, and also proving that the company’s classics are alive and

By Marianne Adams
All American Dance

All American Dance


“Slaughter on Tenth Avenue,” “Barber Violin Concerto,” “Diamonds”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
May 5, 2019


New York City Ballet’s “Barber, Broadway & Balanchine” program, showing Balanchine’s “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” and “Diamonds,” and Peter Martins’ “Barber Violin Concerto,” at first seemed like an odd mix of repertory give the ballets’ vastly different styles. But combining dance hall theatrics, strong American modern dance flavor, and of course one of the best examples

By Marianne Adams
Modern Takes

Modern Takes


“Hallelujah Junction,” “Herman Schmerman,” “The Exchange,” “Concerto DSCH”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
April 24, 2019


One of the most exciting things about New York City Ballet as a company is the sheer number of new choreographic works it manages to usher into the world season after season.  That it has whole programs devoted to 21st century choreographers is a testament to that, and those tend to be my favorite evenings

By Marianne Adams
Classical Styles

Classical Styles


“Significant Strangers,” “Counterpoint,” “Blind Revelry”
Tom Gold Dance
The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College
New York, NY
April 3, 2019


The spring program by Tom Gold Dance at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, lasting only two days, was brief but choreogra- phically engaging. Tom Gold’s three works selected for the evening presented whimsical partnerships with the world premiere of “Significant Strangers,” theater with the New York premiere of last year’s dramatic “Blind Revelry,” and distinctly more modern

By Marianne Adams
It’s All in the Music

It’s All in the Music


“Serenade,” “Mozartiana,” “Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2”
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
New York, NY
January 26, 2019 (matinee)


You cannot go wrong with the music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky or the choreography of George Balanchine, and so in some ways New York City Ballet’s “All Tschaikovsky/ Balanchine” program, a fairly regular staple of the company’s seasons, was set up for success. The many debuts in two of the bill’s works wouldn’t have

By Marianne Adams
Of Ancestry and Present Moment

Of Ancestry and Present Moment


“Estrogen/Genius,” “Distant Kin,” “North Star,” “Mudan 175/39”
Garth Fagan Dance
The Joyce Theater
New York, NY
November 2, 2018


Garth Fagan Dance returned to the Joyce Theater this fall for less than a week, but was determined to make the most of the appearance. Each night’s program presented the company’s two new works, Garth Fagan’s “The North Star,” which was a celebration of the life of Frederick Douglass, and Norwood Pennewell’s “Distant Kin,” so

By Marianne Adams
All That’s New and Nothing Old

All That’s New and Nothing Old


“Reclamation Map,” “Balamouk,” “Midnight Raga,” “The Crane Calling (exerpt)”
Fall For Dance Festival – Program 3
Tayeh Dance with Heather Christian, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Nederlands Dans Theater 2, National Ballet of China
New York City Center
New York, NY
October 5, 2018


In the middle of this year’s Fall For Dance Festival, Program 3 was an assembly of all premieres – two of the works were new to the U.S. audience, the other two altogether new creations. It may

By Marianne Adams